Tell Me Something
by Tear of Light
Summary: Weiss Schnee was a lot of things. A skilled Dust and sword wielder. An heiress. An ice princess. But contrary to popular belief, she was not heartless. AU. Ruby & Weiss.
1. Heartless

**Tell Me Something**

_**A/N**__: After watching the trailers and existing episodes, on top of reading the steadily growing section for RWBY, I have finally decided to write a story of my own. This is a partial AU, as some details will be taken from canon with others are made up from my own imagination. _

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

**Summary: **Weiss Schnee was a lot of things. A skilled Dust and sword wielder. An heiress. An ice princess. But contrary to popular belief, she was not heartless.

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 1: Heartless ~ ***

Weiss Schnee was a lot of things. A skilled Dust and sword wielder. An heiress. An ice princess. But contrary to popular belief, she was not heartless. While many of her fellow Beacon classmates dubbed her as such, that was simply their own misinterpretation of what was otherwise her annoyance of them. Yes, Weiss had a bit of an ego, but heartless? That was something she was not.

A whimper.

Ice blue eyes fixed on the source, Weiss frowning.

And because of the fact that she indeed had a heart, she was currently left in this uncomfortable... situation.

* * *

~ _An hour ago_ ~

Weiss Schnee sighed heavily, the white haired heiress to the Schnee legacy rubbing the back of her neck in exhaustion. Today had been a long day, full of rowdy classmates, absurdly boring assignments, and don't even get her started about the ridiculous rumours spreading around Beacon Academy right now.

While rumors were nothing out of the ordinary, especially for a school this size, the content of such rumors was what left Weiss reeling in barely restrained anger. One particular rumor stated that she and a certain red cloak wearing girl who shall not be named because just thinking about her name tended to leave Weiss overly stressed, were secret lovers. Apparently this love affair had all started on the first day of school. Weiss didn't know who started it, but when she found out, there would be hell to pay. Oh yes. Because really, who in their right mind would have ever thought of such stupidity? Really!? Her and... and... Gah!

The sound of paper tearing immediately snapped Weiss out of her rage filled thoughts. In her hands now lay the half torn remnants of the newspaper she had picked up to read later this evening in her dorm. Sighing again, Weiss held up the poor newspaper to eye level. In her moment of anger, the latest issue of Vale Times bore the brunt of her temper. Oh well. Not that there was really anything interesting in the newspaper anyways. Weiss could always pick up another copy on the way back to her dorm if she really wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss vowed not to have another meltdown, at least not until she got back to her dorm room where she could melt down in peace if she so decided. Instead, she chose to focus on everything and anything that was not red, while she walked back to her dorm. Like the chirping birds. Or the blooming flowers (the gardeners really did a wonderful job maintaining the campus, Weiss had to note). Ruby Rose sitting on a stone bench nearby, staring off into space quietly. The laughing idiots that were her classmates. The-

Wait. What?

Weiss backtracked a few steps, head turned in the direction of the nearest stone bench to her left. She blinked. Well, her eyes weren't fooling her. She had seen correctly. There was no mistaking that red cloak. On the bench just fifteen feet away from her, overlooking the Emerald Forest, was the object of Weiss' utter loathing and misery since coming to Beacon Academy. Unlike usual, her cloak wearing team mate being a rather bubbly girl, Ruby was sitting quiet and alone. Something just seemed so... wrong about that image.

Weiss looked away for a moment. Come to think of it, Ruby Rose didn't seem quite herself today, in any of the classes she had to unfortunately share with the girl. Many a time, Weiss had caught the dark haired girl staring out of the window dazedly, as if she wasn't really there to begin with.

Weiss frowned, quickly catching onto what she was thinking. It was not that Weiss cared about Ruby or anything. Nope. She didn't care one bit. Even after they were assigned to a team together, along with the annoying brat's overbearing sister and the boring bookworm.

The fact that Weiss even tolerated the younger girl's presence since their explosive meeting (literally!) was a miracle in itself. Then again, to think Weiss couldn't handle anything life threw at her would have been blasphemy. As annoyed as she may be, Weiss was nothing less than professional. As she was raised to be. And it was such professionalism which told Weiss to simply walk away and continue on her merry way without a single look back. Ruby's back was facing her after all, and the girl probably hadn't even heard her anyways.

With that settled, Weiss faced forward again, her dorm building visible not too far in the distance. Taking one step forward, Weiss silently berated herself when her body refused take another step.

Damn it. Something had to be terribly wrong with her today.

She couldn't.

She couldn't do it.

She couldn't leave Ruby alone right now, not until she found out why things just felt... weird.

Weiss face palmed.

* * *

"Hey," came a voice behind Ruby.

Nothing.

No flinch, no cringe, no movement aside from the slight breeze which blew by, ruffling Ruby's cloak. The younger girl had her hood on for some reason, though Weiss couldn't fathom as to why. It wasn't cold out right now, in fact, it was quite warm. The heiress to the Schnee legacy had half a mind to dress down into a tank top and shorts when she got back to her room because it was so warm out. Ruby should have been sweltering under her layers.

"Hey," Weiss said again, this time a bit louder. She was just under three feet behind the raven haired girl at this point. Weiss crossed her arms over her chest with a frown.

There was still no reaction from the scythe wielder.

A finely manicured eyebrow twitched. Was Ruby ignoring her? No, no, it wasn't that. Ruby wasn't the shallow type who resorted to such things. After spending an exuberant amount of time and energy just trying to befriend her in the first place, that would have been the last reaction Weiss expected. Ruby probably had her headphones on and was blasting some garbage for music, making her deaf to Weiss' voice.

"I said hey!"

Weiss, now standing off to Ruby's left, grabbed the younger girl's shoulder and yanked her around to face her. While she was almost certain that Ruby wasn't intentionally ignoring her, unintentional or not, Weiss Schnee was not one to ignore.

"Weiss," came a pathetically weak voice. "H-Hey."

Weiss felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She was frozen in her spot, gawking.

"Was this your spot?" Ruby asked, either not noticing the other girl's shock or not caring about it.

Silver eyes looked devoid of everything but agony and pain. Ruby was pale, a cold sweat covering her face. A fist clenched tightly to the black material of Ruby's shirt above her stomach. Normally lithe and smooth movements were jerky and stuttering as Ruby rose to her feet shakily and unbalanced.

Weiss couldn't but stare.

This was Ruby? This was the annoying brat who was too hyper for her own good most times of the day? This was the Ruby Rose who frustrated her to no end with her naivety? This was the girl who aggravated Weiss just by thinking of her?

"S-Sorry, I'll move."

Again, that pathetic voice!

This was not her Ruby Rose.

"T-There you go," Ruby said with a forced smile. She now stood off to the side, allowing Weiss free reign on the stone bench.

"It's... a nice spot." Ruby looked back to the Emerald Forest. "I didn't mean... to be in the way..." Then she was falling forward, limp.

"Ruby!"

It was purely out of instinct that Weiss lunged forward and caught the collapsing girl before she could crack her head open on the concrete below their feet. Weiss initially stumbled a few steps to accommodate the sudden extra weight, but soon adjusted.

"Hey! Ruby!"

Harsh breaths were Weiss' only answer, the younger girl in her arms shivering every so often. Weiss bit her lip. Scanning the area, the Schnee successor quickly noted that they were the only ones in this particular area of the Beacon Academy campus. While this particular corner was not the most travelled of areas, surely she'd soon see another person to deal with this mess.

She was Weiss Schnee.

The heiress to the Schnee legacy. Master of Myrtenaster. Wielder of Dust. Weiss Schnee was not a damn babysitter!

So she waited. And waited. And waited.

But when five minutes passed and no one else wandered by, Weiss silently cursed whatever gods existed in the world. In six different languages.

The white haired girl looked down at the shivering mess in her arms. Ruby better appreciate what she was going to do.

* * *

~_ Present _~

It would take all of five minutes for Weiss to figure out how she was going to carry the unconscious Ruby Rose to safety. Carrying her bridal style was out of the question (Weiss was an heiress, not a damn body builder!), so she resorted to draping Ruby across her back, Ruby's head resting against the back of her right shoulder. It would take another half hour to make it back to her dorm room, Weiss at times hugging the wall of buildings, stalking the shadows of the inner hallways in order to remain out of sight. While she was not heartless, there was still a thing called pride, and she absolutely refused to be caught with her self proclaimed _hazard to her health_ on her back.

Once she finally made it back to her room (her room was closer than the nurse's office), Ruby was gently deposited on her bed, having been stripped of her weapon and shoes just minutes prior. Ruby's boots and scythe remained near the door to Weiss' dorm, out of the way. When attempting to remove the girl's cloak, Ruby showed a surprising amount of aggression and stubbornness even in her unconscious state, Weiss just giving up in the end and leaving her with it.

Another whimper, and an undecipherable murmur.

And now Ruby was here. And Weiss didn't know what to do.

"This is ridiculous," Weiss muttered, turning her back on the younger girl, in search of her cell phone.

The logical thing to do would be to call the school nurse and let the nurse take Ruby away, leaving Weiss in peace. The only flaw in that logic was that the moment Weiss took one step away from her bed in search of her cell phone, Ruby made that awful whimpering sound, akin to a kicked puppy. Weiss froze.

Damn it. Weiss liked puppies.

Damn it all!

With all thoughts of finding her cell phone forgotten, Weiss turned back to her bed, moving to sit on the edge of it.

"Ruby, hey..." she said softly, unsure if Ruby could hear her, or even sense her as she tossed and turned restlessly. "I'm here. Shh..."

That did nothing to ease the younger girl, another mewl leaving Ruby's lips, making the Schnee heiress cringe. Making a fist, Weiss clenched her jaw in indecision. Blue eyes looked away momentarily before falling on the red cloaked girl again. Against her better judgement, Weiss Schnee crawled onto the bed and snuggled up next to Ruby, taking the girl's head in her arms, holding her close.

"_Mirror... tell me something..."_

When Weiss was younger and her mother was still alive, whenever she had a bad dream, her mother would always do this.

"_Tell me who's the loneliest of all..."_

Crawl into Weiss' bed and wrap her arms around her daughter warmly.

"_Mirror, what's inside me?"_

Gently stroke her hair, fingers running through white locks soothingly.

"_Tell me can a HEART be turned to STONE?"_

And Weiss' mother would sing, in the most angelic voice Weiss had ever heard.

"_Mirror, Mirror, what's behind you?"_

That would be one of the few memories Weiss had left of her mother, before the older Schnee's life was suddenly and viciously cut short by a car accident of which Weiss was the only survivor.

"_Save me from the things I see..."_

From her mother's death, Weiss' father never recovered. He became distant and disconnected from his daughter, the only thing which garnered any sort of reaction from the older man being Weiss' ever increasing skill in swordplay.

"_I can keep it from the world..."_

Soon, that became Weiss' focus, her mission, her goal in life. To make her father proud of her. To make up for the fact that she lived, and her mother died.

"_Why won't you let me hide from me?"_

But that choice was not without its sacrifices.

"_Mirror, Mirror, tell me something..."_

Ruby settled in Weiss' arms, the younger girl's once ragged and harsh breathing evening out, her tossing and turning, stopping. It amazed Weiss how effective this was, but then again, it worked for her, so why not for other people?

"_Who's the loneliest of ALL?"_

Weiss continued her soft melody well after Ruby fell into a peaceful slumber, an hour later, the heiress to the Schnee falling asleep herself. Just as her eyelids drooped shut and the darkness wrapped her up in its warm embrace, Weiss vaguely remembered thinking about how she hadn't felt this content since her mother died.

"_I'm the loneliest of ALL..."_

* * *

_**A/N: **__In this universe, students are given their own rooms in a dorm and not a joint dorm where up to four students live together as I've seen in many other fanfictions. Also in this universe, Weiss' mother died in a car accident, Weiss also having been in the car at the time. Ruby's birth parents were killed in a beowolf attack, leaving her the sole survivor. Later on, she was adopted into Yang's family._

_This particular snippet takes place somewhere after initiation, but before real missions start._


	2. Scars

**Tell Me Something**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! Well those last few episodes complicated my interpretation of Weiss somewhat. Seems I'll have to be doing some adjusting from now on. That being said, expect some OOCness from our characters from time to time because of that._

_Thank you to everyone who left reviews, followed and favorited this piece. I didn't expect such a big response to it. Thank you so much!_

_For those of you new to my stories in general, I post updates relating to all of my stories, including when future chapters are posted, on my profile page. Check back there often. For now though, due to my currently busy schedule (that being me already writing multiple fanfictions and real life obligations), this story will be updated on a monthly basis. This will not be permanent however, as I see the update schedule speeding up at a later time._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ DepressedCritic – Thanks for the review. ^^ Despite her cold behavior right now, I do like Weiss a lot. Like yourself, I can't wait to see how she grows. On another note, whenever you do get your fanfiction going, let me know. I'll be interested in reading it. :)_

_ Ang – Thanks for the review. ^^ I don't know about sequels yet, but this for sure will be a multi-chaptered piece. Stay tune for coming chapters! :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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*** ~ Chapter 2: Scars ~ ***

_BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!_

It would be an annoying buzz which roused Weiss from her slumber. At first she didn't know where it was coming from, the Schnee heiress blinking groggily as the beginning rays of dawn came through her open window. Still half asleep, and wanting nothing more than for the annoyance to stop, Weiss' left hand felt around her bed in search of her alarm clock to shut it off. What Weiss ended up finding was something else entirely.

A soft moan.

Weiss blinked.

_Since when did my alarm clock mo-_

Blue eyes opened wide in an instant. "R-R-Ruby!"

Weiss tore her hand away from Ruby's chest, in doing so, falling off her bed in her haste to get as far away as possible from the other girl.

_W-what!?_

This had to be a dream. Or rather, a horrible, horrible, nightmare. Weiss' face was scarlet, her mind scarcely processing the fact that she had awoken face to face with a slumbering Ruby. Further more, Ruby was in her bed and in her sleepy haze to turn off her alarm clock, Weiss had inadvertently groped at the scythe wielder's chest instead. Why did these things keep happening to her!?

The buzzing stopped.

Getting her wits about her, Weiss rose to her feet and made her way over to her bed. Ruby remained sound asleep, in spite of her prior outburst and the sunlight peering through her open curtains.

_BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!_

Blue eyes locked onto Ruby's belt pouch, the leather visually vibrating in sync with the buzzing.

"Excuse me," Weiss said quietly, undoing the hook on the pouch, reaching inside. Her fingers quickly found the desired object and pulled it out for inspection. Just as she brought the buzzing cell phone up to her face, the buzzing stopped.

**28 missed calls.**

Weiss looked at Ruby's sleeping face.

_BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!_

Weiss jumped, almost dropping Ruby's phone. Once she calmed her rapidly beating heart, she accepted the call and brought the phone up to her ear without further thought.

"_Damn it Ruby!"_ came a familiar voice over the line. _"Do you know how long I've been trying to get a hold of you!? Do you know how worried I've been?!"_

Weiss blinked, looking back at Ruby again. _So that really did happen..._

All of the memories from yesterday evening flooded back to Weiss' mind. Ruby so out of place, quiet and solemn. Ruby's haunted eyes. Ruby collapsing. Taking Ruby back to her room.

"_Where have you been all this-"_

"Yang, was it?"

Ruby looked to be in much better shape than she was just hours ago, Weiss noted. No longer did she look to be in pain, or pale for that matter. Now she just looked adorable. But you would never hear that comment verbally from Weiss.

"_Who is this?"_

Weiss raised an eyebrow. The change in Yang's voice was instantaneous. In spite of the tones of worry and anxiety mixed in, her normally bubbly, overbearing and down right annoying voice had suddenly turned cold, dark and just plain venomous.

"Weiss Schnee," Weiss said, calmly. "You'd think by now you'd recognize your own teammate's voice."

"_Why do you have Ruby's phone?"_

"It's simple really," the white haired girl said. Weiss tossed some stray hairs from her ponytail back over her shoulder. "That's because she's with me right now."

"_What have you done to her?"_ That one came out as a growl. _"If I find out you've-"_

Blue eyes narrowed. "Is it really so hard to believe that I might actually be spending some quality time with my teammate?"

"_Yes!"_ Yang snapped. "_What-_"

Weiss rolled her eyes, putting a hand on her hip. "She collapsed yesterday," the Schnee successor said before Yang could ignorantly accuse her of some other fallacy.

Silence.

"I was nearby when it happened," Weiss continued, hearing no objection from the blonde. That in itself was strange, but Weiss merely made a mental note about it for later. "And Ruby has been in my care ever since."

Weiss' gaze flicked back to the younger girl, the sword wielder smiling a little when she noticed Ruby hugging her pillow.

"_Where's your room?"_

"South Wing," Weiss answered dutifully. "Fifth floor. Room 502."

The line went dead.

"You're welcome," the white haired girl grumbled, staring at Ruby's phone.

Weiss rubbed her face and sighed. It would be mere minutes (if that much) before Yang came banging on her door, demanding her sister back. That being said, Weiss returned Ruby's phone to the younger girl's pouch before looking at the slumbering girl again.

"Do you know how much trouble you are?" she said softly.

Ruby merely slept on, nuzzling Weiss' pillow.

"Honestly," Weiss said, shaking her head in exasperation. _The things I do for my teammates..._

Turning back towards her adjoining washroom, blue eyes caught sight of pale flesh causing Weiss to pause. Sometime during the night, part of Ruby's shirt had rode up her body, exposing part of her stomach. When Weiss realized she was staring, she immediately turned her back on her the sleeping girl, her cheeks a rosy red colour once again.

_What am I- What the?_

Weiss was at Ruby's bedside in an instant, pulling up Ruby's shirt with gentle hands. Her breath caught in her throat the moment three wicked looking scars crossed her vision. The jagged marks looked so out of place there, on Ruby's skin, Weiss tracing one of them before she thought about what she was doing. Ruby shivered slightly at her touch, whimpering, causing Weiss to immediately pull back her hand, a concerned look on her face. Before she could do anything further, a loud banging reached her ears.

"_Weiss!"_

It was Yang.

"_Open up! NOW!"_

Ugh. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

Rising to her feet again, Weiss strode over to the door to her dorm, all the while smoothing out her ruffled dress from the day before.

_BANG. BANG. BANG._

"_Weiss! I swear to the gods, if you don't open this door right now, I'll-"_

The door to room 502 swung open wide, revealing a less than pleased Weiss Schnee.

"You'll what?" Weiss crossed her arms over her chest. "Break down my door like the barbarian you are?"

Yang's lips pulled back into a snarl. Weiss held her ground, narrowing her eyes. If blondie was going to start a fight here, Weiss was more than willing to indulge her.

"Where is she?" Yang demanded through pressed teeth, the blonde pushing past Weiss and walking straight into her humble abode.

Normally, if someone invaded her privacy like that, teammate or not, they would have been sent flying into the opposite wall in the hallway all thanks to Myrtenaster. As it was right now, Weiss was much too tired right now to deal with such things, wanting nothing more than for this whole situation to be resolved as soon as possible. And that involved having Yang take Ruby home. Or at least back to her dorm room. Thankfully, Yang's shoes were clean, somewhat, and she wasn't dragging in mud prints or something hideous like that. Not that Weiss would be the one cleaning up that mess. That's what maids were for after all.

"Sis!" Yang exclaimed, upon sight of her younger sister.

It truly fascinated Weiss how quickly Yang's expression went from menacing to gentle. She leaned against the doorway to her bedroom as the blonde gently fussed over her younger sibling, examining her this way and that for injury. Yang would find none of course. Weiss was a perfect hostess. Surprisingly though, in spite of the spot examination, Ruby would not awake, the younger girl slumbering away as if dead to the world.

Watching Yang ever so gently scoop Ruby up into her arms caused a knot to form in Weiss' stomach, something she'd later realize to be jealousy. Knowing her face was betraying the normal cool and calm expression she always did her best to maintain, Weiss immediately made her way back to the main entrance to her dorm, schooling her expression as she waited for the pair. Yang emerged from her bedroom not even a minute later, Ruby cuddled up against her.

"Satisfied?" Weiss said bitterly.

The tone, one which even surprised Weiss herself, made Yang pause. Blue eyes met violet ones, Weiss clenching her hand into a fist. After a few seconds, Yang nodded, seemingly having found something in Weiss' cold gaze.

"Thank you, Weiss," Yang said passing through the threshold of the entrance, with Ruby and all her little sister's things in hand. She turned back to face the Schnee heiress. "Thank you for taking care of my baby sister."

A small smile.

Weiss didn't return Yang's smile, instead choosing to roll her eyes and huff. "She's my teammate, dolt," Weiss said, crossing her arms over her chest. The white haired girl refused to acknowledge Ruby as their leader, even after the events during initiation, but that was a different issue for another time.

"As are you," Weiss continued. "It's a given we take care of each other."

Yang's smile widened. "Even so, thank you."

"Yeah, yeah."

An unexplainable sensation blossomed in Weiss' chest. It was warm.

"Now go away," Weiss said, dismissing Yang with the wave of her hand. "I have things I need to take care of."

"As you say, _Princess_." Yang grinned.

Weiss shot her teammate an icy glare.

* * *

Yang left not too long afterwards with Ruby, Weiss immediately closing the door once they were out of sight. Turning back to her dorm, finally without any more interruptions or annoyances, Weiss decided a shower was in order. Classes would be starting soon, and there was no way she was going to any of them in this state.

As she slowly made her way to the washroom, Weiss couldn't but remember the horrific looking scar on Ruby's stomach. Thinking of her own scar, Weiss brought up a hand to her left eye and traced the marred flesh with her finger.

* * *

_**A/N: **__So in this AU, students have their own rooms in the dorm building with adjoining washrooms and a very small sitting area outside of their bedroom._


	3. Not That She Cares

**Tell Me Something**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! At this point, I think it's safe to say this no longer follows canon so much. So expect there to be a few differences._

_On another note, I'm pleased to announce that I'll be updating this story faster now. Instead of updating on a monthly basis, this story will now be updated every two weeks! Whoo! :)_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Ano – Thanks for the review. ^^ I've seen that story pop up from time to time and will have a look at it when I get the chance. I'm glad you liked that last chapter. :)_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) And thanks for your understanding in the matter._

_ DepressedCritic – Thanks for the review. ^^ I can understand the desire for something longer, though I'm happy the writing itself makes up in its place. As easily as I can write something longer, I feel that it would take away from the story itself if I focused on quantity over quality. I've seen many stories come out lately that follows that focus, and it really takes away from the reading in my opinion. Oh well. On a final note, to save yourself some typing in the future, I'm a girl. ;)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 3: Not That She Cares ~ ***

Ruby didn't show up for any of her classes.

While that in itself shouldn't have affected Weiss (whether or not her teammates attended their classes was really none of her business), unfortunately that was all the Schnee heiress could think about as the day dragged on. Though, given that this was Ruby, the girl whose energy rivalled that of a hamster on coffee, it shouldn't have been surprising for the girl to skip Grim Studies 100 class. Listening to Professor Port drone on and on was just as exciting as watching paint dry.

Or in other words, it was a royal waste of time.

However, Weiss being Weiss, she attended anyways. No need to ruin her perfect attendance record without reason. But when Metallurgy 101, Weapons Mastery 100, and Weapon Dynamics 105 passed by without so much of a hint of the red cloaked girl, Weiss started to worry. Those were some of Ruby's favorite classes, and the scythe wielder wouldn't be caught dead missing them.

A stack of books thumped down on the corner of the table. Amber coloured eyes raised to look at the source of the disturbance.

"That was a bit excessive," a voice said, making Weiss nearly jump out of her skin.

"B-B-Blake!"

For the longest time, Weiss had been the sole occupant of this part of the Beacon Academy Library. The moment classes ended, the first place she sought out was here. As expected of a school this size, the Beacon Academy Library took up an entire wing, books of all sorts filling the rows upon rows of shelves, from floor to ceiling.

Much to the surprise of Yang, the blonde (annoyingly enough) also sharing many classes with her and Ruby, Weiss had voluntarily grabbed an extra copy of the assignment notes handed out during class for Ruby in her absence. But rather than leave it at that, Weiss took things a step further and decided to borrow the necessary books from the library to help with those same assignments on Ruby's behalf. Which was why she was still here. Getting the living daylights scared out of her.

Why Weiss went to such lengths for the younger girl, even she didn't know. Ruby Rose was the bane of her existence, a hazard to her health, the misery that was... well, miserable. By all logic, Weiss shouldn't even be here right now, amongst dusty tomes, putting together a collection of readings to help the youngest team member of Team RWBY. Yet, somehow, Weiss felt that she had to. The gods only knew how terrible Ruby was at finding this stuff. It was like the cloak wearing girl was allergic to books or something. Or perhaps it was just that no one had ever shown her how easy it was.

Many a time growing up, Weiss longed for such assistance, just another person, a helping hand to make her feel not so alone. Perhaps that was why she was doing this, because she knew what it was like. Or perhaps she had just finally snapped, had that quarter life crisis moment, and had gone crazy instead. One thing was certain though, this by no means was Weiss sucking up to their leader. Weiss Schnee did not grovel. To anyone.

Blake raised an eyebrow at Weiss, setting her book down on the table in front of her. She gave the heiress a questioning look.

Weiss quickly recomposed herself. "When did you get here?" she questioned, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. _Calm down, Weiss. It's only Blake._

No one came back here, or rather, very rarely did anyone come back here. Weiss had been here countless times before now, for various studies, and never had she seen a single soul linger here any of those times. She should have known Blake of all people would have been the first.

"Just now, actually," Blake said, not the least bit perturbed by the white haired girl's tone. Amber coloured eyes looked at the stack of books on the table again. Books with spines as wide as Blake's hand sat on the corner of the table, ten of them in total.

"Catching up on some reading?"

Blake gave Weiss another look.

"It's not for me," Weiss answered, huffing in annoyance. No sooner had those words left her lips did Weiss realize her mistake.

"Oh?" That question was accompanied with another raised eyebrow.

_Blast it! If it's not one thing, it's another. _Weiss' eyebrow twitched. Blake didn't have to say anymore for Weiss to know what she was asking.

"It's none of your concern," the Schnee successor said stiffly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Why people cared about what she did, teammate or not, bothered Weiss to no end. What did it matter if she was getting books for someone else? She was not heartless after all. Did people have nothing better to do with their lives than to intrude on hers? What she did was her business. Everyone else could butt out!

Weiss turned back towards the bookshelves in search of the last book on her list.

"Ruby hasn't been in class all day today," Blake commented.

The white haired girl froze, on the verge of ducking between two nearby book shelves. Blue eyes widened momentarily before they narrowed, Weiss clenching her jaw. She refused to look back at her library companion.

"Is that so?" Weiss said, forcefully keeping her voice neutral. Her back still faced Blake. "I hadn't realized."

A chuckle.

That got Weiss whipping around to look back at her teammate, the sound seeming so foreign coming from the normally silent girl.

"Your friend is lucky," Blake said, picking her book up again to read. She flipped a page. "It's not everyday Weiss Schnee picks up books on your behalf."

"Gathering these books for Ruby doesn't make us friends!" Weiss snapped, her patience gone. All this tip toeing around the issue was aggravating, not to mention, extremely irritating. Weiss was not one to do such things. No, Weiss Schnee didn't beat around the bush. She was blunt, to the point, and if you couldn't handle that, tough.

A smirk worked its way across Blake's lips, the black haired girl peering over the top of her book at Weiss. "I never said you were getting those for Ruby."

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, only to close it a moment later. Blake was right. She hadn't said anything about the books and Ruby in the same sentence. It was Weiss who put those two ideas together herself.

The smirk on Blake's lips widened.

Weiss gritted her teeth. She'd been played.

"For someone who can't seem to get far enough away from Ruby, you certainly seem rather invested in her right now."

A pale fist clenched, Weiss silently berating herself for the slip up. She hated the way Blake was currently looking at her. It was like she knew something Weiss did not, and it was driving Weiss crazy.

"I refuse to let my marks drop because of her!" Weiss forced out between clenched teeth.

That was all a lie of course. Assignments done in class were individually marked. It was only the practical lessons, the ones usually held outside (more often in the Emerald Forest) which were marked according to the team's performance. How any of her teammates did inside of class would bear no consequence on Weiss' marks. The look Blake was giving her told Weiss her teammate knew that all too well.

Damn it. She was getting soft. All this team business- Gah! This was why she was better off working alone! Stupid, stupid Ozpin.

"Well then Ms. Schnee," Blake said, returning her gaze to the book in her hand. She turned another page. "Don't let me hold you back. I too wouldn't want my marks to suffer in the absence of a teammate."

The fist at Weiss' side shook, the Schnee heiress fighting to push down her rage before she did something she regretted. It both amazed and angered the white haired girl just how fast Blake saw through her. Any other person would have been fooled with that subterfuge. And if that wasn't enough, her colder than ice attitude was usually enough to chase them off. Stupid Ozpin indeed!

Grabbing the stack of books off the table with a grunt, Weiss proceeded to stomp her way out of the library, before Blake could further drive her up the wall. Ruby didn't need that last book. Weiss had assembled more than enough reading material for Ruby to get her assignments done. The Schnee successor did have a tendency to go overboard with her own assignments after all.

Just as she was exiting the library, Weiss froze. Blue eyes widened when she realized one important fact. Or rather, a lack there of.

Weiss had absolutely no idea what Ruby's dorm room number was.

Beacon Academy's dorm consisted of two buildings standing relatively near each other. One was for the girls, and the other for the boys. Both buildings had twenty floors apiece, each floor having a hundred individual dorm rooms for the students. That being said, there was no way Weiss was going to figure out which room belonged to Ruby without a number to go by. Or a floor number. Not only would knocking on every single door until she found the one belonging to Ruby take hours, the white haired girl absolutely refused to humiliate herself with such a thing.

Weiss Schnee groaned, her forehead smacking the top book on the stack she carried. Would it kill the powers that be to let her have one normal and uneventful day for a change!? Someone above certainly had a grudge against her. Not that Weiss believed in gods in the first place. But everyone needed a scapegoat, right?

Looking back at the rows of bookshelves behind her, Weiss resigned herself to further embarrassment and went back to Blake, asking for Ruby's dorm room number. As Yang's partner in initiation, the black haired girl probably took the time (or rather was forced to, given Yang's personality) to get to know her partner, unlike Weiss herself. With Yang being Ruby's self proclaimed big sister, there was no doubt in Weiss' mind that Yang knew Ruby's dorm room number, and hence Blake.

Weiss sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

_**Knock. Knock. Knock.**_

"_Coming! Coming!_"

After a few seconds, shuffling sounds were heard through the door.

"_Yang! I told you, I'm-_"

The door to Ruby Rose's dorm room swung wide open.

"- fine..."

Ruby blinked in complete surprise, obviously not expecting her guest to be the Schnee heiress.

"Oh h-hey, Weiss," Ruby said, swallowing nervously. "I though you were... someone else..."

Weiss remained quiet, giving the younger girl a quick once over. Like on the first night before initiation, Ruby was dressed in her pyjamas, a brown tank top with a cartoony beowolf head and white and red polka dot pants. Her hair was a bit dishevelled, Ruby's slightly lethargic movements indicating she had just woken up from a nap. Or was about to take one. All in all, Ruby looked much better. Not as perky as she was usually, but much better.

Weiss inwardly sighed in relief. Seeing the younger girl up and about eased the worry that had been eating away at the Schnee successor since yesterday. It never occurred to her just how wound up she was about it until she saw Ruby.

"U-Umm... Weiss?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

If Weiss could have heard her teammate's thoughts right now, she would have quickly realized just how out of character she was being. Normally their conversations (that being hers and Ruby's) were all about yelling, Weiss doing most of it, Ruby just taking all the yelling. But as it was, there was no yelling, and Ruby was doing most of the talking. The poor younger girl didn't know what to do.

"Is e-everything alright?"

Ruby's stuttering snapped Weiss out of her reverie, the white haired girl quickly blinking her way back to awareness. Realizing that she had been staring, a scowl quickly overtook her face, Weiss thrusting the heavy stack of books at the scythe wielder without warning.

"Here," Weiss said, her eyes narrowing slightly as Ruby stumbled back two steps to adjust to the new weight.

"You'll need those," Weiss continued. "For the assignments handed out in class today." On the top book, tucked inside the cover, were all of the assignment notes.

Ruby blinked, the red cloaked girl clearly not expecting this treatment. From Weiss no less. "You... got me a copy of today's assignments?"

Ruby looked dumbfounded.

"You weren't in class today," Weiss said with a huff. She crossed her arms over her chest. "So someone had to." It was rather irritating how she had to explain the obvious.

"A-And these books?"

Weiss fought the urge to roll her eyes. "What about them?"

Come on! She goes out of the way to help a teammate and what gratitude does she get? Nothing. This was the reason why Weiss stopped caring about everyone else around her long ago, choosing instead to rely solely on herself. Ungrateful wretches.

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"No-"

Weiss glared.

"I m-mean y-yes!" Ruby corrected herself quickly. "Yes, I did hear you. It's just..."

"It's just _what_?" Lips pressed into a fine line, Weiss narrowing her eyes more.

Ruby looked down at the books in her hand for a moment before meeting her teammate's gaze again. "Thank you, Weiss."

"_Thank you, Weiss," Yang said passing through the threshold of the entrance, with Ruby and all her little sister's things in hand. She turned back to face the Schnee heiress. "Thank you for taking care of my baby sister."_

"You didn't have to do this, but you did." Ruby gave Weiss a smile. "Thank you."

Weiss looked to the side, avoiding the younger girl's gaze. "You're my teammate, dolt," she said, but her voice held no malice. "We're supposed to help each other out."

A pause.

"I'm sure your sister would have done the same if I hadn't," the Schnee heiress added, trying to play this off as nothing.

Weiss was doing her damnedest to fight back the creeping heat she felt in her cheeks. That inexplicable feeling was back again, the sword wielder doing all that she could to pretend it wasn't there.

"Actually no," Ruby said in embarrassment, more on her sister's behalf. "Not really." A soft laugh. "She's not the type who normally remembers these things."

Weiss looked back at the scythe wielder and nodded her head in agreement. Yang wasn't really the academic type. She was more the shoot first and ask questions later type. How unfortunate. For them all. If the fate of the world rested on Yang's shoulders, and all she had to do was pick up paperwork, the world was doomed.

"Yeah well, just don't make this a habit," Weiss said, remembering where she was. She quickly worked to regain her cold mask of indifference. The last thing she needed was for Ruby to gush all over her, or for the younger girl to go bragging to their teammates about this. Weiss did have a reputation to maintain after all.

"I won't!" Ruby said, shaking her head fast enough to leave Weiss dizzy. "I promise!"

"Good," Weiss said, giving her partner a cool look. "Because this won't happen again."

With that said, Weiss started down the hallway back to her room. Ruby's room was actually on the same floor as hers, just on the opposite side of the dorm. Yang was on the same floor as Blake, both of whom where just a floor below them.

"Weiss!"

The Schnee heiress paused in her steps, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Thanks again," Ruby said shyly. "You know, not just for the books and assignment notes. For yesterday too." Another smile.

Weiss' cheeks threatened mutiny again, the white haired girl facing forward, continuing on her way as if nothing happened.

"Idiot," the sword wielder muttered to herself.

Weiss was warm.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Grimm Studies was actually the first class the girls attended in Episode 9, taught by Professor Port (as seen written in Ruby's notes during class). Beyond that, __I have no idea what kind of in-class courses students Beacon Academy offers, so I made up some. Lol. Special thanks to my friend J for helping me come up with those course names! :)_

_Kudos to those of you who caught that Mass Effect 2 reference at the very beginning. *thumbs up*_


	4. That Feeling of Wrong

**Tell Me Something**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. ^^ You are correct, that was indeed referring to Mordin. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 4: That Feeling of Wrong ~ ***

Their transport was cold, dull, and noisy. Unlike the Airships which brought them in comfort to Beacon Academy on their first day, this flying monstrosity provided barely any consolation to its passengers aside from the small, fake leather covered seats. The padding in them was awful. Weiss pulled restlessly at the scratchy seat belt tying her down.

A week had passed since Ruby's unexplained collapse. Thankfully, since then, the red cloaked girl had returned to her regular, bubbly, and annoying self. As concerned as she was about the whole incident, Weiss couldn't bring herself to ask Ruby about it. Nor Yang. It was really none of her business. Or so she tried to convince herself.

Yet, in spite of her attempts to forget her concerns, deep down, Weiss was worried. Something didn't feel right about this. And that feeling had been nagging at her constantly, like an unscratchable itch. Things were too convenient, too lucky, to have happened right now. Some people would have called it a coincidence, but Weiss knew better. Nothing happened by chance. Everything happened for a reason. Just like-

Weiss shook her head. Her gaze shifted to the tiny window to her right, and the scenery beyond that. She had to focus. Everything else would be addressed at a later time. She couldn't afford to get distracted now, not when they were heading into their first mission of the year. Yet no matter how many times she tried to push things away, that feeling of... wrongness kept coming back.

Perhaps it had something to do with their briefing earlier this morning.

* * *

~ _Beacon Academy. Ozpin's Office. 10:00 a.m._ ~

"Oh good, you're all here."

Headmaster Ozpin casually lifted his mug to his lips and took a sip. His desk was made of mahogany, a massive piece of furniture which could have easily acted as a dining table for a family of four. Bookshelves were made of the same wood, lining the walls between the windows. Some of them held actual books, while others held frames of various accolades and certificates, along with weapons in glass boxes.

All of them stood side by side in front of the Headmaster's desk, their feet shoulder width apart, their hands behind their backs. Ruby stood on the far left side of the line, on her right being Yang. To Yang's right was Blake, with Weiss standing on the far right side on the line.

Ruby's eyes sparkled at the sight of those prized weapons, Weiss fighting back the urge to roll her eyes. Blake's expression was blank, neither impressed nor bored with Ozpin's showy office. Yang on the other hand, was extremely bored, the blonde stifling a yawn, all the while trying not to look too conspicuous while they waited.

"I do apologize for calling all of you ladies here on such short notice," Headmaster Ozpin continued, setting his mug down on the desk. "I've already spoken with your professors, so don't worry about being penalized for your absence."

Thank the gods for those small mercies! Weiss was so not looking forward to writing make up assignments because she was here, instead of in class.

"The reason I've called you all here today is rather simple."

The opening of the door drew Weiss' attention away from the headmaster for a moment, blue eyes locking on Glynda Goodwitch as the woman entered the room with four paper files in her hand.

"I have a mission for you."

Weiss' gaze snapped back to the headmaster in an instant, her eyes widening slightly. Everyone's gazes were on Ozpin now, even that of Ruby and Yang. Weiss could already feel the prickle of anticipation building, her breath quickening a bit as they waited for further instructions. Glynda set down the file folders on the headmaster's desk in front of him, before moving off to the side.

"Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch," Ozpin said, with a brief nod to the huntress. The huntress returned the nod.

Turning his attention back to Team RWBY, Headmaster Ozpin rose from his chair before speaking. "It's not very often we call upon our freshman students so early on," he said, circling around his desk to stand in front of it. "But there have been times where it has been necessary. This is one of those times."

Ozpin reached back and picked up a file folder from his desk. He flipped it open and examined the contents. "Currently, Team RWBY is the highest ranking team amongst the first years, and given your track record so far, it is believed that you four will easily handle the trials ahead."

"At noon today," Glynda Goodwitch began. "You'll be transported to the Town of Daggerhorn-"

"Daggerhorn!?" Yang interrupted, her eyes wide.

Weiss jumped at the outburst, the Schnee heiress scowling at her obnoxious teammate for the interruption. Any snappish remarks were quickly lost however, the moment Weiss caught sight of the nervous look Yang sent in Ruby's direction. Glancing to the red cloaked girl, Weiss immediately noticed how rigid and pale Ruby was, Ruby's silver eyes wide with horror.

"Yes, Ms. Xiao Long," Glynda continued, pursing her lips. It was very clear the huntress wasn't all that impressed with Yang's disruption. "Your mission will be simple. Seek out and destroy the pack of Beowolves said to occupy the area. All the information you need are in these files. Any questions?"

Weiss' eyes didn't leave Ruby for a second, even as Glynda finished their briefing. It sounded like an easy enough mission, though, with Yang and Ruby currently acting like they were, Weiss knew this was going to be anything but easy. Something was going on here. And not a good something.

"Yeah," Yang said, in response to Glynda's comment. "I have a question."

Violet coloured eyes turned crimson as they glared at Headmaster Ozpin. Yang's lips pulled back into a snarl. "What the hell are you trying to pull!?"

Yang took one menacing step forward, Ember Celica quickly shifting into active mode on her wrists.

Glynda Goodwitch's reaction is instantaneous. In a flash of movement, she shifted in front of the Headmaster and drew her baton. It was pointed at Yang, glowing with power. "You dare-"

"With all due respect, Headmaster, Ms. Goodwitch," Weiss cut in, her own actions surprising everyone in the room including herself.

Just like the veteran huntress in front of them, Weiss too had moved, to stand directly in front of Yang in fact, with an arm stretched in front of the blonde protectively. She stared at Glynda Goodwitch dead in the eye. The older woman was visibly stunned by this move, her baton lowering just a bit.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out there's more to this mission than just exterminating Beowolves running amok," Weiss continued, taking a brief glance back at Yang and then at Ruby. Yang stared at Weiss in confusion, while Ruby stood, still frozen in silent horror.

"Something else is going on here, and as a part of Team RWBY, I think I, along with the rest of my teammates, deserve to know exactly what that is."

Blue eyes shifted to Headmaster Ozpin, the man still looking through the file folder in his hand. Brown eyes slowly raised to meet Weiss' gaze. The sword wielder's eyes narrowed.

The silence was thick and heavy, making Weiss grit her teeth. It took everything the Schnee heiress had to keep herself from fidgeting. The Headmaster's gaze was cold and calculating, prodding too, testing her resolve. Weiss held her ground, more a stubborn sense of pride than actual confidence. It seemed to do the trick.

"Very well," Ozpin said, tossing the file folder back onto his desk sloppily.

"But Sir!" Glynda protested, her baton dropping to her side as she turned to look at the Headmaster.

"It's quite alright, Ms. Goodwitch," the Headmaster said. "Ms. Schnee is correct. They should know fully what they're heading into if the mission is to succeed. It was never my intention to hide anything from anyone. You know that."

Glynda Goodwitch sighed in defeat, returning her baton back to her boot. "Yes, Headmaster."

Weiss breathed in relief, soon after lowering her arm. She looked back at Yang, the blonde looking a bit more calm than moments ago, her eyes back to its regular violet colour. Hopefully Yang wouldn't do anything crazy in the next few minutes, ruining all of her hard work.

Headmaster Ozpin rested back against his desk, half sitting, half leaning on the edge of it. Reaching back, he picked up his mug again and drank for a moment.

"Aside from your excellent grades and overall skills," Ozpin started. He set his mug down again. "There was another reason why I chose your team over say... Team JNPR."

Yang's hands shook at her sides, Weiss looking back at the blonde in concern. Not for Yang's well being of course, oh no. It was more she was concerned Yang would blow up again, literally this time, taking with her the headmaster's office. And them. Thankfully that didn't happen as Blake reached out to put a hand on Yang's shoulder. The black haired girl shook her head when Yang looked back at her. That seemed to placate Ruby's older sister for the moment, the blonde stepping backwards in line, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The Town of Daggerhorn has been abandoned for years," Ozpin continued, not skipping a beat. Either he didn't notice the looks exchanged between Yang and Blake, or he just didn't care.

"But rather than sending in a team blind, with no familiarity with the area, I chose to send in you, as at least one of you knows the layout of the land."

A sharp inhale to the left had Weiss turning in that direction again. Ruby was shaking now, a hand clenching tightly at the piece of black shirt over her stomach. Weiss' concern and worry suddenly skyrocketed. Was Ruby going to relapse into another episode? Blake went tense beside Weiss.

"Ruby Rose," Headmaster Ozpin said.

Those two words were the most foreboding thing Weiss had ever heard in her entire life.

"You were born in Daggerhorn, were you not?"

"ENOUGH!" Yang exclaimed. She quickly wrapped her arms around her shaking sister and held her tight. "We are not taking this mission!"

"What!?" Glynda Goodwitch almost squawked with shock. Shock was soon replaced with anger however, the huntress glaring daggers at Yang Xiao Long. "After all that we've done for you, you dare-"

"Calm down, Ms. Goodwitch," Ozpin said, as calmly as ever. "This wasn't unexpected after all."

"But Headmaster-"

"Please, Ms. Goodwitch." That plea was followed by a small smile on the Headmaster's part.

Glynda Goodwitch sighed again, bringing up a hand to her forehead. She massaged her temples with her fingers. After a few seconds, she turned to leave.

"I'll... go fetch you some more hot chocolate," she said with resignation.

Blake blinked. "Hot... chocolate...?"

"Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch," Headmaster Ozpin said as the huntress left the room. "And please, don't forget the marshmallows. The tiny ones."

The door was closed gently behind huntress Glynda Goodwitch. Ozpin turned back to look at them.

"Ms. Xiao Long-"

"No," Yang growled out. "We're not accepting this mission and that's that!"

"Daggerhorn," Weiss murmured, staring at the floor. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

From the moment she heard that name, something tickled at the back of Weiss' mind. Passed the current panic and concern and worry bubbling inside of her due to Ruby's quickly deteriorating health, there was also familiarity. She had heard that name before, a long time ago, but for the life of her, Weiss couldn't remember why.

"The Town Daggerhorn," Blake said, drawing Weiss' gaze. "Twelve years ago, it was attacked by a pack of Beowolves. Being a farming town, with its people being the farthest thing from fighters, the townsfolk were slaughtered and the village razed to the ground."

Weiss blinked. That was right. Now she remembered! Weiss was but a child when that horrible tragedy happened.

* * *

_~ 12 years ago ~_

Five year old Weiss Schnee watched with wide eyes as the news anchor, someone who was later replaced by Lisa Lavender in the years to come, described the horrible scene which took place in the Town of Daggerhorn. Hundreds of people were dead. Men, women, children, no one was spared. Houses were burned to the ground. Cattle was shredded. Trees were toppled. And the once white snow was stained red.

A few minutes ago, little Weiss had been watching her favorite cartoon on television. Then the emergency broadcast took over, making her pout. At first the smallest Schnee was mad that she was missing her cartoons, but then those awful pictures started showing on the screen and she forgot all about her cartoons. It wouldn't be until the broadcast was halfway through its stream that her parents realized what she was watching. They promptly turned off the television after that. But by then it was already too late. Little Weiss had already seen.

* * *

_Beacon Academy. Ozpin's Office. 10:27 a.m._

"Two hundred and eleven people were killed that day," Weiss said, distractedly recounting the facts from memory. "It would have been a lot worst had hunters and huntresses not intervened when they did, saving the surrounding towns. Yet even in all that slaughter, one person did survive. It was a y-young girl..."

Blue eyes went wide as Weiss turned back towards Ruby.

"... with... a blood stained cloak..."

Suddenly it was very hard to breathe.

"Ruby..."

Weiss felt like a fool.

How had she not seen this coming? How did she remain ignorant for so long? All of the signs were there, but she had still been oblivious. The yearly memorial for the tragedy of Daggerhorn was a week ago, which was in line with Ruby collapsing. And the scar on Ruby's stomach, even a child could put two and two together about how that came about. Thinking back to her own scar, the Schnee heiress felt a sudden urge to touch it.

She didn't.

Weiss felt sick to her stomach. But that was probably nothing compared to what Ruby was feeling like right now.

"Yes," Ozpin said, his voice lower than before. "It was an awful tragedy. One that may very well repeat itself if we don't do something about it."

"P-Pardon?" Weiss said, stuttering. Just what the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Three weeks ago, we received reports of Beowolf activity near the ruined Town of Daggerhorn," the Headmaster explained. "It was left in the hands of the local militia to take care of, and for a time, it seemed there was nothing to worry about."

Ozpin sighed.

"But?" Blake dared to ask.

The silver haired man took off his glasses, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket at the same time. "Three days ago, we got an emergency request for help," Ozpin cleaned his glasses. "From the information we received, the local militia was almost all wiped out."

Yang growled. "If they're so dangerous," she said. "Why not call in more qualified hunters and huntresses?"

"We have," the Headmaster replied, shoving his handkerchief back in his pocket. His glasses went back on his face. "But it will take another week before the closest one will arrive, and who knows what would have happened by then."

Blake tilted her head to the side slightly. "Isn't Ms. Goodwitch a-"

"She is," Ozpin cut in. "But she's unable to help in this matter."

"Why?" Yang demanded.

"She's currently investigating matters for another mission and cannot be called away right now."

"How convenient for her," the blonde commented.

Weiss' hands clenched into fists, the Dust wielder gritting her teeth.

"Beacon Academy is the only organization which can respond in time, before the situation gets worse. That is why I called you girls here today."

"No!" Yang said, turning away to hide Ruby's small shaking form from the headmaster. "We have the right to refuse this mission! You can't make us do it."

"That is true," Ozpin said, his expression darkening. Something glinted in those brown eyes of his, something making Weiss shiver.

"If that's the case, I'll call just on Team JNPR to handle it." Headmaster Ozpin's lips twitched upwards slightly.

Weiss' eyes went wide at that minute movement. She suddenly felt very cold.

Weiss knew that look. She had seen it many times when the partners of her father's company _suggested_ certain business arrangements be taken care of. Such arrangements, whether it be to open a new warehouse or to increase the prices of stocks, usually came via underhanded tactics and less legal methods. To see such that look here, on the very man leading the school-

"Signal Academy has offered aid in this-"

_No! No! No! No! No!_

Weiss opened her mouth to speak.

"We'll do it," came a small, muffled voice to the left.

_No. _

Weiss looked at Ruby in despair.

For a split second, a small smile stretched across Headmaster Ozpin's lips. Then it was gone in a flash, as if it never happened. Weiss caught it anyhow.

"Ruby! No!" Yang said, panic clearly heard in her voice. She held her sister at arms length. "We are not doing this mission! Do you hear me? We're not!"

"Yang-"

"There's nothing for you to prove-"

Ruby reached up to hold her sister's cheeks. "Yang," she said, albeit a little shakily. "We're going to do it, Sis," Ruby said, forcing a smile. She swallowed thickly.

"I'm the leader, remember? We can do this. I can do this."

Weiss wanted to scream. To shout. To yell it all out. But most of all, she wanted to run Headmaster Ozpin through, over and over again with Myrtenaster.

They'd been played. Ruby most of all.

Yang was right. They had the right to refuse a mission. Ozpin just couldn't have ordered them to do it. So he made Ruby believe that she had to do it. As a means of atoning or getting revenge, it really didn't matter at this point. Once Ruby made up her mind, come hell or high water, it was going to get done.

Or she'd die trying.

"Ruby..." Yang said, speechless.

Blake looked at Ruby, her lips pursed. Conflicting emotions were seen warring with each other in those amber coloured eyes. Weiss felt like someone had punched her in the gut, leaving her too winded and unable to speak. And Yang, gods, Yang was holding onto Ruby so frailly, as if the youngest girl was going to break if she wasn't careful. That may not have been too far from the truth.

For the first time since coming here, Weiss Schnee was regretting her decision to attend Beacon Academy.

Ruby wearily turned to Headmaster Ozpin, putting on her strongest face. "We'll be at the pick up zone at twelve noon sharp, Headmaster," she said. "Make sure they're ready."

* * *

_~ Present ~_

Weiss shifted her gaze to the left, blue eyes spying the two sisters sitting next to each other. Yang had an arm around her sister's shoulders, Ruby with her hood on, resting her head against the blonde's collar bone. Blake sat to Weiss' right, staring blankly out the window, her book no where in sight. It was rather unusual for the bow wearing girl not to be reading at a time like this, not that Weiss really blamed her. Since meeting everyone at the pick up point, no one had said a word.

An uncomfortable feeling festered inside of Weiss. She hoped it was just indigestion, from eating a rushed lunch an hour earlier than normal. But the Schnee heiress knew she was not that lucky. Indigestion didn't feel like this, like a thick, heavy sense of doom pressing down upon their shoulders. No, indigestion was easy compared to this.

Turning back to stare out the window again, Weiss could only hope she was totally wrong about this awful feeling.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ The gang took an Airjet to their mission location. It's the same ship which Roman Torchwick used to escape in Episode 1._

_Daggerhorn __is the name of town where Red Riding Hood from the 2011 movie Red Riding Hood lives._

_I still don't feel I have a very good hold of what Ozpin or Glynda Goodwitch's characters are like, so expect them to be a bit OOC._

_For this story, Ozpin is referred to as Headmaster instead of Professor. And he drinks hot chocolate with tiny white marshmallows. :P_

_Some of you may be wondering why the girls were given paper file folders with the info rather than get it electronically via their Scrolls (the datapad looking devices). The answer to that is simple. They Scrolls the characters have are student Scrolls. They would require an actual hunter/huntress Scroll for such things, but as they are still huntresses in training, they get paper folders. _


End file.
